Prostitution sting yields several arrests

A prostitution sting organized by the Roseville Police Department Friday led to the arrest of 11 people for various charges.
Roseville’s Vice Narcotic Enforcement Team and the Crime Suppression Unit conducted an undercover operation at the Santa Clara Terrace apartment complex on the 1600 block of Santa Clara Drive regarding adult oriented services advertised on Craigslist.
The apartment manager contacted authorities after having difficulty with suspicious people who he believed were prostitutes, according to Roseville Police Department spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.
“The manager and some of the tenants … contacted us and asked for our help with some disorder issues, including prostitutes frequenting the area, sometimes harassing law-abiding citizens,” Gunther said.
Seven suspected prostitutes – Shakema Rasheeda Goodwin, 25, Alexandra Braxton-Edwards, 21, Esmeralda Casahonda, 25, Shanice Monique Sims, 20, Jalisa Cherise Myers-Gipson, 22, Simona Yvette Brown, 36, and Andronette Neal, 26 – and one suspected pimp – Maurice Gregory Lewis, 44 – were arrested and their vehicles were impounded.
Neal and Myers-Gipson were arrested on charges of prostitution, Shante Nicole Bolton, 19,was arrested for conspiracy to commit a crime and Lewis was arrested on for pimping. Myers-Gipson was also arrested for possessing a controlled substance and for warrants out of Orange County.
The building’s office manager, Alder Lopez, said he was surprised to learn of the prostitution ring in what he’s known to be a “very quiet family” complex.
In the past few months, however, he noticed a lot of men congregating in one of the units, which raised red flags.
“I was so pleased that (the Roseville Police) did a good job,” Lopez said. “It was taken care of.”
A resident of the complex who wished to remain anonymous said he’s lived in the building for almost five years and hasn’t had a problem. That is, until a few months ago, when he noticed an influx of non-residents in the parking lots.
While conducting the sting, officers also arrested two Sacramento residents on suspicion of selling counterfeit merchandise in front of the complex.
Lucero Barrales and Guadalupe Barrales-Oliveras parked in front of the complex and sold counterfeit DVDs and CDs from the trunk of their car, according to police reports.
“(We’re) working with the full cooperation of the apartment manager to keep the area safe and peaceful for the law-abiding tenants of the neighborhood,” Gunther said.
Josh Fernandez can be reached at joshf@goldcountrymedia.com.